A Road Without Obstacles Leads Nowhere.

Pancreatitis

I have been dealing with a serious amount of stress. Last Friday my sister called me and told me that my Mom had been diagnosed with Pancreatitis (an infection in the pancreas) and it had the possibility of being serious. I immediately looked in the internet and saw that it in fact was something that could be life threatening and my brain started going in all directions. Thankfully I have the wife that I do and she also search the internet and comforted me with information. The only thing keeping me sane is that if she was not hospitalized already it was probably not as advanced.

We spent the weekend waiting. She was going for an MRI on Monday and to see the doctor on Tuesday. She was also put on a liquid diet. After talking to my Mom a couple of times and her breaking down and telling me she though it might be cancer, I was devastated but tried to be strong for her and encourage her. She just lost a coworker to pancreatic cancer a couple of months ago so that is still fresh in her mind.

I am posting about this today because I have some good news, her case was not serious and she is going to be ok. The MRI showed some cysts on her liver, but nothing serious. The pancreas was not swollen or showed signs of cancer and the liquid diet was to clear the infection. One surprising thing is that there is no real medicine for the pancreas, they will give you things for the pain but nothing really to help the pancreas. Even though Pancreatitis is a serious thing and she will be prone to it happening again, with a careful diet she should be ok. The Pancreas is a vital organ that cannot be removed if seriously infected or with cancer. I think the worse of it was the liquid diet that she hated following.

I could not post about this while it was going on. I know everyone would have encouraging words, but I almost did not want to hear them. I think fear was there, and more support besides that of my wife would have cracked the tough exterior that was holding me together and making me capable of functioning. It does make me think twice about what you put in your body as far as food… it makes me think even more of my struggle with weight and eating junk. I remember the last time I eat Sonic, the only fast food that I still somewhat enjoyed. I could seriously taste the oil on everything that I was eating, it was seriously disgusting. Maybe it is just the fear talking still, but I really want to change some things about the way I eat.

One of my brothers had an incredibly severe case of pancreatitis years ago – almost fatal – but he has lived a healthy life for almost a decade now. I’m glad your mom’s case is less severe, and I assure you that her longterm prognosis is absolutely fine.

Web MD is probably the worst thing to ever happen for hypochondriacs and worried family members. At least you waited to hear a professional diagnosis before you hit the search engines for information. Glad that scare’s behind you, though.

Please know I have prayed for you, your mom and your family and I will continue to do so.

I know how scary and helpless someone can feel in times like this and I understand the wanting to reach out but not wanting to reach out feelings you had. If you need a friend, you know I’m here to listen man.

I’m am glad your mother is doing well and you are able to spend the quality time speaking to her and able to visit her whenever. My grandfather was not so lucky. He did pass away from Pancreatic cancer when I was 16. 14 years ago I’m sure there wasn’t much research on that form at the time. Looks as though all the prayers were answered and it is not her time to go. I think you did what was right at the time to keep it a low profile until you were ready to discuss it with those who over the years have become your friends. Thank you for allowing us to see a side of your world you hold very dear.

I’m so glad to hear that your mom is okay. I know what you mean, though, in that whenever something really troubling has been going on in my personal life, I never feel comfortable posting about itfor a while, if at all.